Do new patient emergencies become patients of record at your office OR do you treat their emergency, get them out of pain, and never see them again (at least not until the next emergency)? To evaluate if the system you are currently using is working well for you, run a report of New Patient Emergencies for the past six months and then look to see how many of them have become actual patients vs. how many have not come back (and possibly not paid their bill). Calculate your percentage of success at retention by dividing the number successfully converted by the total number of emergency new patients. How did you do? This exercise should give you statistics to show if what you're doing is working or not. If it's working -- great! If not, it's time to do something different! One of my favorite sayings is, "If you continue to do what you've always done, you'll continue to get what you've always gotten."

Treating emergency patients is a necessary part of dentistry, but not the way to build your business, unless those patients become “your” patients, follow your treatment recommendations, and refer others to you. Here is a system that works well to transition emergency new patients into patients of record. I have found that when doctors complete the emergency treatment on the first visit, it is much more difficult to get them to come back (until the next time they are hurting). So the goal is to do PALLIATIVE treatment only on the first visit and then reschedule the patient for a comprehensive examination to evaluate their entire mouth. You may want to discuss with your team how this concept would work in your practice.

Emergency New Patient System

1. Initial Phone Call:
A. Screen the caller to determine how severe the emergency is. Ask questions such as, "Is it keeping you up at night?' "Are you taking pain medication?" "Do you have swelling?" "Is it sensitive to hot or cold?"

B. If you determine this is a true emergency, schedule the patient ASAP to alleviate their pain. Your final question would be “How soon can you get here?” This really identifies someone in pain!

C. If you feel the problem may not be an emergency that needs to be treated immediately, try to schedule the patient for a New Patient Exam and let them know you will be checking on their problem area too at that visit. Say something to the patient like, "Seeing a new patient in our office is a very important visit. On your first visit the doctor likes to get to know you and find out what you're looking for in a dentist, and also let you know about him and his philosophy of dentistry. The doctor will be examining your mouth and taking any necessary x-rays and then together, you can both plan what's best for you."

2. First Visit on True Emergency Patient:
A. Do palliative treatment only to get them out of pain, by prescribing medication, smoothing the rough edge of a broken tooth, etc. without completing the entire treatment. Treating an emergency patient in this manner also prevents you from getting behind in your schedule, by trying to complete a treatment when appropriate time has not been scheduled. We all know the “stress” this creates in the entire office.

B. At this visit you can also let the patient know if you see other signs of disease or problems that could end up just like the situation they are currently in. Suggest that you see them again for a complete, comprehensive examination and x-rays and let them know at that visit you will discuss the treatment needs for the current problem area as well as the rest of their mouth.

C. Finances for the examination should be discussed and arranged prior to the visit so there are “no surprises”. During this discussion your Financial Coordinator will obtain an idea of the financial status as well as dental IQ of the patient.

3. Second Visit:
A. This visit should proceed as it normally would with a new patient; building rapport, getting them to like you, exploring the benefits of ideal dentistry, gaining trust, and creating value for what you have to offer. When a patient is in pain, these goals are much more difficult to accomplish.

B. Finances should be discussed for all necessary treatment, including the initial problem area, and financial arrangements should be agreed upon.

C. Depending upon the scope of the initial problem, you may want to schedule time at this visit to complete treatment on that area, after consulting with them about the entire mouth. The goal is to aim for a dentist / patient relationship where you are treating the entire mouth, not just one tooth at a time.

Published by BECDEN Dental Laboratory 131 E. 13065 S. Draper, UT 84020 888-344-9991 toll-free 801-576-9991 phone

The editor of this newsletter is Emily Webb of Becden Dental Laboratory, Inc. Please send any questions or comments about this newsletter, or suggestions for articles to: emilyw@becdendental.com ©2007 BECDEN Dental Laboratory, Inc.